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QB Steven Bench Set to Transfer

The number of quarterbacks on Penn State’s roster just decreased by one.

According to a GoPSUSports release, sophomore signal-caller Steven Bench has been granted a release to transfer from the Nittany Lion program when the semester concludes on May 3rd.

“I have been meeting with all the players this week with my evaluation of where they are at related to football and academics and to discuss what they need to work on this summer. After meeting with Steven, he informed me he wants to play elsewhere. We want what is best for Steven. I want to thank him for his contributions to the program. We wish Steven the best in the future and will assist him anyway we can,” said Bill O’Brien in the release.

Bench had been competing against Tyler Ferguson this spring, with the two splitting first-team reps equally. Both put up rather similar statistics in Saturday’s Blue-White game, and O’Brien reiterated after the scrimmage in Beaver Stadium that he was not close to naming a starting quarterback.

Ferguson is now the only scholarship quarterback on the roster until the highly touted Christian Hackenberg arrives this summer. D.J. Crook and Austin Whipple are the two walk-on quarterbacks.

Bench’s Penn State career comes to a close with him going 2-8 passing for 12 yards.

The surprise transfer means it will likely be Ferguson or Hackenberg under center on August 31st at MetLife Stadium against Syracuse in the season opener. There may not be an exact answer for a few months, but there’s one less option to choose from after today.

Update: 4:57 p.m. — Bench sent the following tweet from his personal Twitter account minutes ago.

I’ve decided to leave Penn State and go to a school that will give me the opportunity to compete for the QB spot and reach my full potential

The former Penn State record setting quarterback took home Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors following his impressive first NFL start that resulted in a 28-23 win for the Oakland Raiders on the road against the Houston Texans.